White genocide conspiracy theory: Difference between revisions

The white genocide conspiracy theory is a neo-Nazi, alt-right, white nationalist/supremacist conspiracy theory,^[1] which contends that any one of mass immigration, racial integration, miscegenation, low fertility rates, abortion, governmental land-confiscation from whites, organised violence^[2] or eliminationism are being promoted in either predominantly white countries, or supposedly white-founded countries, to deliberately replace, remove, or liquidate white populations,^[3] dismantle white collective power,^[4] turn the countries minority-white, and hence cause white people to become extinct through forced assimilation^[2] or violent genocide.^[5]

The conspiracy theory was developed by the neo-Nazi David Lane in about 1995. The phrase "Anti-racist is a code word for anti-white", coined by high-profile white nationalist Robert Whitaker, is commonly associated with the topic of white genocide.^[6][7] It has appeared on billboards in the United States near Birmingham, Alabama^[8] and billboards in Harrison, Arkansas.^[9] The conspiracy theory had already been purported in Nazi Germany by a pamphlet written for the "Research Department for the Jewish question" of Walter Frank's "Reich Institute" with the title "Are the White Nations Dying? The Future of the White and the Colored Nations in the Light of Biological Statistics".^[10]

The conspiracy theory has been expressed in South Africa and France. It has also been been commonly used both interchangeably with,^[11] and as a broader and more extreme version of Renaud Camus's 2012 The Great Replacement conspiracy theory, which focuses on the white Christian population of France.^[12][13]

In August 2018, US President Donald Trump was accused of endorsing the conspiracy theory in a foreign policy tweet instructing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to investigate South African "land and farm seizures and expropriations and the large scale killing of farmers",^[14][15][16] claiming that the "South African Government is now seizing land from white farmers".^[17][18] The often critical narrative derived from farm attacks, and land reform, is an established subset theme of the broader conspiracy theory,^[4] portrayed in media as a form of gateway or proxy issue to "white genocide" within the wider context of the Western world.^[19][17] The topic in relation to South Africa and Zimbabwe, is also simply used interchangeably with the subject,^[20] as well as being used by white nationalists as a parabolic concept, or cautionary tale,^[21] to justify policies to retain or increase white majorities in nation-states, or otherwise maintain their vision of white supremacy.^[3][17]

Origins and development

Neo-Nazi origin

The explicit phrasing of "white genocide" first appeared sporadically in the neo-Nazi publications White Power^[22] and WAR^[23] in the 1970s and 1980s, where it primarily referred to contraception and abortion. The conspiracy theory was developed by the neo-Nazi David Lane in his White Genocide Manifesto (c. 1995, origin of the later use of the term),^{[24][25][26][22]} where he made the claim that the government policies of many Western countries had the intent of destroying white European culture and making white people an "extinct species".^[27] Lane—a founding member of the organization The Order—criticized miscegenation, abortion, homosexuality, the legal repercussions against those who "resist genocide", and the "Zionist Occupation Government" that he said controls the United States and the other majority-white countries and which encourages "white genocide".^[27]

Alt-right

In the 2000s, the conspiracy theory spread beyond its explicit neo-Nazi and white nationalist origins, to be embraced by the newer alt-right movement.

Anders Behring Breivik's entitled manifesto makes frequent mention of an alleged ongoing genocide against white Europeans.^[27]

Discussion threads on the white nationalist Internet forum Stormfront often center around the theme of white people being subjected to genocidal policies by their governments.^[27] The concept has also been popularized by the alt-right movement in the United States.^[28][29] The 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia referenced the conspiracy theory as tiki torch-wielding protestors yelled "You will not replace us!" and "Jews will not replace us!".

The notion of racial purity, homogeneity, or "racial hygiene" is an underlying theme of the white genocide discourse and it has been used by people with neo-Nazi and white supremacist backgrounds.^[30][31]

While individual iterations of the conspiracy theory vary on who is assigned blame, Jewish influence, people who hate whites,^[30] and liberal political forces are commonly cited by white supremacists as being the main factors leading to a white genocide.^{[32][33][34][35]} This view is held by prominent figures such as David Duke, who cites Jews and "liberal political ideals" as the main causes.^[36][37] White nationalist Robert Whitaker, who coined the phrase "anti-racist is a code word for anti-white" in a widely circulated 2006 piece seeking to popularize the white genocide concept online, used "anti-White" to describe those he believed are responsible for the genocide of white people, and continued to view it as a Jewish conspiracy while emphasizing that others also supported the "anti-White" cause.^{[38][39][40][41][42][43][44]}

However, the view that Jews are responsible for a white genocide is contested by other white supremacist figures, such as Jared Taylor.^[45]

Advocacy and spread

The conspiracy theory has continuously recurred among the far-right in a variety of forms, all centered around a core theme of white populations being replaced, removed, or simply killed.^[3] People who have been described as endorsing or serving instrumental roles in spreading at least one iteration of the conspiracy theory include:

Canada

• Faith Goldy, a Canadian right-wing writer and commentator, has been described by GQ magazine as "one of Canada's most prominent propagandists" for the theory.^[46] She has compared Canada's immigration policies to "white genocide".^[47][48]
• Gavin McInnes, a Vice Media co-founder, Canadian writer, actor and comedian, is one of the main leaders of the far-right factions that believe in the conspiracy theory.^[49] He has stated that white women having abortions and immigration is "leading to white genocide in the West".^{[50][51][49][52]}
• Stefan Molyneux, a Canadian podcaster and YouTuber, is a supporter of the theory.^[53] He has devoted a video to the conspiracy theories about "White Genocide" in South Africa.^[54]
• Lauren Southern, a Canadian far-right internet personality and political activist, has promoted the white genocide conspiracy theory, using it as an argument against immigration.^[55][56][57] She has advocated for European countries to refuse refugees from Africa and Asia, saying that immigration would lead to white genocide,^[56] and has been labelled in media as a "booster" for the conspiracy at large.^[2] In 2018, Southern produced a documentary called Farmlands about post-Apartheid farm violence in South Africa.^[58] Sky News interviewed her regarding her documentary Farmlands, introduced as what Southern describes as the "white genocide of South Africa", the tagline of which was "Crisis. Oppression. Genocide?"^[59]

South Africa

• Steve Hofmeyr, a South African singer, songwriter, political activist, actor and TV presenter, supports and promotes the conspiracy theory.^[12][60][61] The Conversation has credited Hofmeyr with popularizing the concept.^[62] In January 2017, media reported that Hofmeyr was set to meet President-elect Donald Trump to discuss "white genocide" in South Africa.^[63][64]

United Kingdom

• Katie Hopkins, an English media personality, has made a documentary supporting the conspiracy theory of an ongoing genocide against white farmers in South Africa.^[65][66] She has also promoted the idea that both immigration and multiculturalism are intended to cause white genocide.^[67] Yahoo! News reported that while traveling for the documentary, "her intention was to 'expose' the white genocide" happening to farmers in South Africa.^[68][69]

United States

• Tucker Carlson, an American conservative political commentator for Fox News, has been described as playing a key role in bringing the conspiracy theory of an ongoing "White Genocide" in South Africa into the mainstream after a piece about the topic on his show caught the attention of president Donald Trump.^{[70][71][3][72]} Vox described him as having "taken up the cause" of the "virulent, racist conspiracy theory" of white genocide.^[21] Salon has said that while he avoids using the specific phrase "White Genocide", "its basic premise is embedded throughout his show"^[70] Tucker Carlson he was shocked his statements could be considered an appeal to white nationalists, dismissing question about his show's high support among them as "stupid" and saying he knew nothing about them.^[71]
• Mike Cernovich, an American alt-right social media personality, writer, and conspiracy theorist, supports and promotes the conspiracy theory.^[73][74][75] He has deleted several tweets referring to the concept, one stating that "diversity is a code word for white genocide".^[76][77][78]
• Ann Coulter, an American conservative social, writer and political commentator, has been described as a "champion" of the ideas behind the conspiracy theory following a book she wrote on the subject.^[79] She has also claimed that "a genocide" is occurring against South African farmers.^[80] She described non-white immigration to the United States as "White Genocide" in a 2007 article called "Bush’s America: Roach Motel."^[81][82][83] Vox has described Coulter as one of many providing a platform for "the 'white genocide' myth".^[84]
• David Duke, an American white supremacist, former Republican Louisiana State Representative and Grand Wizard of the KKK has posted Youtube videos stating that Jews are "organising white genocide".^{[85][86][87][88][89]} Duke has also accused Anthony Bourdain of wanting a genocide of white people.^[90][91]
• Alex Jones has been described as instrumental in the American spread of conspiracy theories about "White Genocide" in Africa.^[92][93]
• Jason Kessler, the primary organizer behind the Unite the Right rally and an American white nationalist blogger, has repeatedly promoted the conspiracy theory, using his website to criticize what he called "white genocide" and an "attack on white history".^[94][95][96]
• Michael Savage, an American radio host, author and conservative political commentator, has devoted an episode of his show to conspiracy theories about "White Genocide" in Africa.^[3]
• Jack Posobiec, a leading figure in the Alt-right, former US naval intelligence officer and a Trump activist, has frequently tweeted about the concept.^[97]
• Donald Trump Jr., an American businessman, executive director of The Trump Organization and the eldest child of current US President Donald Trump, has been accused by mainstream media of being an advocate of the conspiracy theory,^[98] or pretending to be an advocate for political gain,^[99] after his interview with white supremacist James Edwards during the 2016 Trump presidential campaign.^[100]

Appearance in mainstream US politics

Starting with the 2016 US presidential election, there have been allegations that aspects of the conspiracy theory have been adopted as dog-whistling by some mainstream conservative political figures. ^{[citation needed]}

Iowa congressman Steve King has used rhetoric that Mother Jones and Paste Magazine described as invoking the conspiracy theory, saying that "We can’t restore our civilization with somebody else's babies" and using the phrase "cultural suicide."^[101][102] Vox and The New Republic have described him as an adherent of the theory that immigration and other forms of population shift represent a slow genocide against white populations.^[84][103]

In 2016, Donald Trump garnered controversy after retweeting Twitter user @WhiteGenocideTM,^[104] and @EustaceFash, whose Twitter header image at the time also included the term "white genocide".^[105]

On August 23, 2018, US President Donald Trump brought the concept of "white genocide" in relation to South Africa significantly further into mainstream media discourse, after he publicly instructed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to investigate South African farm attacks,^[15] an instruction which was broadly portrayed in media as the Trump and his administration advocating for an unfounded conspiracy theory.^{[20][106][107][108]} Trump had apparently gotten his information from a Tucker Carlson segment on Fox News.^[109] New York magazine had claimed Trump was attempting to "change the conversation — to one about “white genocide” in South Africa",^[17] Esquire reported that the "President of the United States is now openly promoting an international racist conspiracy theory as the official foreign policy of the United States".^[18] According to the SPLC, Trump had "tweeted out his intention to put the full force of the U.S. State Department behind a white nationalist conspiracy theory".^[110]

Causing "angry reaction in South Africa", many politicians and public figures responded critically to Trump. These included multiple members of the South African Parliament and RSA Deputy President David Mabuza. Julius Malema MP responded to the US President directly, declaring "there is no white genocide in South Africa",^[111] and that US President's intervention into their ongoing land reform issues "only made them more determined... to expropriate our land without compensation".^[112][113] Jeremy Cronin MP stated that the South African government needed to "send a signal to the courts‚ to Trump‚ to Fox News Agency" over the issue,^[114] whereas Lindiwe Sisulu claimed that his foreign policy tweet was "regrettable" and "based on false information".^[77]

In the U.S., former US Ambassador to South Africa Patrick Gaspard, and American media personalities Chris Cuomo and Al Sharpton spoke out against the US President on the issue. Gaspard labelled Trump's actions as "dangerous and poisoned",^[16] while Cuomo stated that Trump was bogusly claiming "white farmers" were "being hunted down and killed and having their land stolen".^[115] Trump had previously caused controversy around the topic as a presidential candidate in 2016, when he republished content from a social media account named "WhiteGenocideTM".^[116][117]

Critics

Critics of the conspiracy theory include:

South Africa

• Jeremy Cronin, a South African writer, politician, member of the South African Communist Party and current Deputy Minister of Public Works, has spoken against the conspiracy theory. In a committee meeting in the South African parliament, he indicated that land expropriation without compensation should not be viewed as a white genocide.^[114]
• David Mabuza, a South African politician and Deputy President of South Africa, has spoken in opposition to the conspiracy theory, calling it "far from the truth". He stated that "we would like to discourage those who are using this sensitive and emotive issue of land to divide us as South Africans by distorting our land reform measures to the international community and spreading falsehoods that our ‘white farmers’ are facing the onslaught from their own government".^[16]
• Julius Malema, a South African Member of Parliament and leader of the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters party, has spoken in oppositon of the conspiracy theory, declaring that it was "absolute rubbish to say there's white genocide".^[112][16]
• Lindiwe Sisulu, a South African politician, member of parliament, and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, has spoken out against the conspiracy theory, saying "it is a right-wing ideology, and it is very unfortunate."^[118] Speaking of President Trump's promotion of the topic, she claimed his foreign policy tweet was "regrettable" and "based on false information".^[77]

United States

• Derek Black, an American former white supremacist and godson of David Duke, after initially supporting and helping to popularize the concept,^[119][120] has renounced and opposed the white genocide conspiracy theory.^[121] Black has claimed that the concept was about pushing white nationalists into a false and overt paranoia about demographics of the United States.^[4]
• Mika Brzezinski, an American newscaster, author and co-host of Morning Joe, has spoken out against the concept,^[122] labelling it as a "a racist conspiracy theory".^[123]
• George Ciccariello-Maher, an American political scientist and former associate professor of politics and global studies at Drexel University, has strongly opposed the conspiracy theory, claiming that it is "invented by white supremacists and used to denounce everything from inter-racial relationships to multicultural policies".^[124] Ciccariello-Maher has labelled the concept as a "figment of the racist imagination" and claimed that "it should be mocked".^[125]
• Chris Cuomo, an American television journalist, has spoken in opposition to the concept, stating that "like all conspiracy tripe, there's a kernel of truth" to the theory, in relation to land reform in South Africa. He has however generally described the conspiracy theory as a "bogus cause that white nationalists are selling".^[126][115]
• Patrick Gaspard, a Congolese-American politician and former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa, has opposed the concept, claiming the conspiracy theory is "trafficking in a white supremacist story line",^[127] and that it is a "white-supremacist meme from the darkest place".^[16]
• Eli Saslow, an American journalist, has spoken against the conspiracy theory, labelling it as a "really effective" form of propaganda or indoctrination. He stated that "unfortunately, in part because it's built upon a very real and dark truth in American history — which is that white supremacy has always been a big part of what this country is — white nationalists were able to start capitalizing on that".^[128] Saslow has claimed the conspiracy theory is a way to "sanitize" white America's history of racism and violence, by focusing on the "ways that white people are under attack in this country", including "white genocide" and "building a wall".^[120]
• Al Sharpton, an American civil rights activist, Baptist minister and talk show host, has opposed the conspiracy theory, labelling it as "neo-Nazi propaganda". Discussing the issue on an MSNBC segment with Katy Tur and foreign correspondent Greg Myre, he stated that it's "not true" that "white farmers are being killed in South Africa" for racial reasons.^[129][130]
• Tim Wise, an American anti-racism activist and writer, has spoken out against the conspiracy theory, stating that it is a form of negrophobia that is being directed politcally to "scare white Americans" about non-whites within the U.S.^[131] Wise has claimed that paranoia around the concept dates back to the Haitian Revolution and North American slave rebellions, but that changing demographics of the United States have heightened existing anxiety, stating that "the reason it is amplified today is that in the recent past the cultural norm of the country was still dominantly white".^[132]

Expressions beyond the United States

France

Figures on the right of French politics, such as Renaud Camus, have claimed that a 'white genocide' or "Great Replacement" is occurring in France.^[133] Camus's definition, which focuses largely on the white Christian population in France, has been used in media interchangably with white genocide,^[134][11] and described as a narrower, less extreme and more nationally focused version of the broader conspiracy theory.^[12][13] Despite his focus on the specific demographics of France, Camus also believes all Western countries are facing a form of "ethnic and civilizational substitution".^[135]

South Africa

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2018)

Far-right and alt-right figures, such as singer Steve Hofmeyr, have claimed that a "white genocide" is taking place in South Africa.^[136] The manifesto of far-right terrorist Anders Behring Breivik entitled 2083: A European Declaration of Independence devotes an entire section to an alleged "genocide" against Afrikaners. It also contains several other references to alleged persecution of whites in South Africa and the attacks on white farmers.^[136] Mike Cernovich, an American alt-right commentator, has previously stated that "white genocide in South Africa is real."^[137] The survivalist group the Suidlanders has claimed credit for publicizing the issue internationally.^[138]

Gregory Stanton of Genocide Watch has condemned the misuse of his groups's reports of the threat of polarization in South Africa to further a the idea of "white genocide".^[139]

Africa Check, a fact-checking organisation, has rejected these claims as false: "In fact, whites are less likely to be murdered than any other race group." Africa Check reported that while whites account for nearly 9% of the South African population they represent just 1.8% of murder victims. Lizette Lancaster from the Institute for Security Studies has said that "Whites are far less likely to be murdered than their black or coloured counterparts."^{[140][141][142]}

See also

• Angry white male
• Eurabia
• The Camp of the Saints, a dystopian novel that describes a similar concept.
• Ku Klux Klan
• White supremacy

References